The Federal Government on Tuesday in Abuja inaugurated a task force to bring the under-performing Nigeria TV and radio advertising market to higher productivity.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who inaugurated the 15-member Audience Measurement Implementation Task Force, said it could result in additional $400 million dollar revenue or more in the industry in the next three years.
He reiterated that the absence of a scientific audience measurement system had resulted in under-development in the broadcast and advertising industries and stunted their growth.
“Nigeria’s broadcast advertising market is punching far below its weight, especially when the country’s population is taken into account.
“Despite having a population more than three times that of South Africa, Nigeria’s television advertising market revenue in 2016 was $309 million dollars compared to that of South Africa’s $1.3 billion dollars.
“Nigeria’s broadcast advertising market is also third in Africa, behind that of South Africa and Kenya.
“The immediate challenge before us, therefore, is to bring the under-performing Nigeria TV and radio advertising market to what it should be – which is two or three times what it is now,’’ he said.
The minister added that a world-class audience measurement system was critical to the success of the Digital Switch Over (DSO), which the country is implementing,
He recalled that in the pursuit of delivering a world class, scientific audience measurement system for Nigeria, he set up a team in 2020 led by Alhaji Garba Bello-Kankarofi, who drew up the concept.
He said that after the committee submitted its report, a marketing research company based in Lagos, was selected to deliver audience measurement services.
Mohammed said the implementation task force being inaugurated would supervise and ensure an accurate, reliable and timely audience measurement system for the nation’s broadcast and advertising industry.
Other terms of reference of the task force included identifying the best practice audience measurement system that will support the sustainable growth of the Nigerian creative and entertainment industry;
It is also to supervise the established framework for supporting the sustainability of the audience measurement system, independent of the Federal Government;
The task force is also expected to recommend a payment and disbursement framework among the key stakeholders in the industry,
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 15-member task force is chaired by Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya while Mr. Joe Mutah is the Secretary.
Responding on behalf of other members, Ogunkoya thanked the minister for giving them the opportunity to serve and assured that they would put in their best in delivering on the mandate.
